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BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 7, 2009

ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA

ERIC WING: We're here with the winning connections of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. That winner being Pounced. And on the left is trainer John Gosden, and on our right is Nat Rothschild, the son of owner Lady Serena Rothschild. Gentlemen, congratulations. I guess everybody's happy. You're up one, but the American Breeders and Robby got that Laurel on their part. Pounced very aptly named today. He certainly did pounce on interactive and the others who were doing most of the early running. How does Pounced compare in your mind with the winner you trained in this race last year, Donativum?
JOHN GOSDEN: He's an equally agile athletic horse, you know. He has a high cruising speed, great acceleration. He's grown in length in the last year. Changed shape. Must have been the good grass in Kentucky when he was a baby.
But he's been a pleasure to train. When he's won his maiden at New Breed way back in August, I started thinking of this race, and freshened him, gave him holiday. Went to Longshore, Rothschild was there, and they were really happy with it, and I said I think he should go to the Breeders' Cup, Juvenile Turf. He said you let me know. And I said, okay.
ERIC WING: Matt, congratulations. In turf or dirt, when a 2-year-old wins a Breeders' Cup race, it provides an owner with a lot of intriguing options. Have you allowed yourself today dream at all about what 2010 might hold for Pounced?

NAT ROTHSCHILD: I'm just so happy that we've won this race. And I just want to enjoy today and this week, and this month, and even the rest of this year, savor this moment. I don't think about the next step. This is a great achievement to us. I have a huge amount of gratitude to John for conceiving this, and all of the credit should go to him.

Q. The second horse from Europe that's won a race this year getting Lasix for the first time. How do you think that's helped?
JOHN GOSDEN: Obviously, I trained here for 11 years. I have a lot of experience with it. I'll be very clear. My feelings on medication are as follows: I think it's right to use medication, and I simply mean something like Lasix and not anything else and antibiotics and things. For horses, for their benefit, when they are trying to be helpful to horses in training.
I personally like the European horses where we don't race on medication. So I'd be happy to run on no Lasix today. But I've been around the block a few times and I know everybody else is using it. And I come to the heat of Santa Anita, and the cauldron of racing here on Breeders' Cup day. It puts the horse under a lot of pressure, and I don't want to find out under that pressure he's bled when others have had the advantage of using Lasix.
That's why I use it. When in Rome, do what Romans will do. However, of course he can win without medication. But I see it as something he should use intelligently, but very hard to get in this country because state by state as you know is a different law.

Q. You were running long shot behind another clan horse. Was it the point that this horse is Breeders' Cup bound? And when you won at Longchamp you were setting the pace. He appeared to lose it and picked up when you saw him winning at that point?
JOHN GOSDEN: Yeah, I think he made the running. He was in front to Longchamp because nobody else wanted to lead. And I wanted to run seven furlongs that day, not five and a half. So I give the option to the jockey to go on. The there was never going to be a lack of being up in the front. I was shocked by how slow the fractions were. When I saw at the three quarters it was 12 and change, I see knew then you want to be real handy. What happens with the horses in front come off the bend, and kick and take a length and a half. You haven't come off the bend, you haven't switched. And they can also -- Shoemaker did that for years, steal ground there. So you then got to pick that up and nail him in the 1/8th pole, but he was in the position he got the split to do it.

Q. Any chance you come back here full-time?
JOHN GOSDEN: Well, I thought about it for a few years when I left I made a mistake. Charlie Whittingham gave me the greatest compliment of my life. I was saddling a horse with him. But it hadn't been public knowledge, he was behind tightening the girth and he lent over and said John, tell me you're thinking of going home. I'll come and pack for you (laughing).
ERIC WING: I'm sure Nat Rothschild and his mother, Lady Rothschild, might disagree with that. They're happy where you are right now, and you've registered Breeders' Cup win number 4. Third in the last two years ago. John Gosden, Nat Rothschild, congratulations on the win today by Pounced.

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